A crown is a tooth is shaped cap placed over a tooth that is badly damaged or decayed.
A crown may hold together parts of a cracked tooth and can be used to hold a bridge in place. Crowns are also used for cosmetic purposes, to cover misshapen or badly discolored teeth. Crowns can be all metal, porcelain fused to metal or all ceramic porcelain. Metals include gold alloy or a base metal alloy.
To place a crown, your dentist must remove 1 to 2 mm of the tooth to make room for it. Your dentist will then use a piece of thread or cord or use a laser to push the gum down around the tooth to take an impression. The impressions are sent to the lab where the crown is made. During that time you’ll have a temporary crown.
These crowns are usually made of plastic and are made in your dentist’s office on the day of your visit. They are not meant to last. If a temporary crown is left in the mouth the cement eventually washes out and that the tooth can decay.
During your second visit the dentist will remove the temporary crown and test the permanent one. Sometimes crowns need additional polishing or glaze or some other adjustment before they are placed. Once the crown is ready it is cemented to your tooth.
Den-Care Smile Center provides dental crowns, tooth crowns and porcelain crowns for patients in the following Lake County IL communities: Beach Park, Grayslake, Great Lakes, Gurnee, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lake Villa, Libertyville, Lindenhurst, Mundelein, North Chicago, Round Lake Beach, Vernon Hills, Wadsworth, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor and Zion.
To learn more about dental crowns and what treatment options may be best for you, contact Den-Care Smile Center at 1-847-DENTIST or visit one of our Lake County IL dental Offices in North Chicago or Round Lake Beach.
